There’s a famous story about Robert Propst, the inventor of the cubicle. Supposedly he recanted his invention on his deathbed, calling it monolithic insanity.

If you work in a cube farm, you know that that the regular patters can be demoralizing and the constant chatter can make it hard to do your work. Some people try to dress up their cube with decorations, but it’s still not always easy to concentrate. What’s a cube worker to do?

Here’s a radical suggestion: book yourself a conference room a few days a week so you can go and get things done. This is a great way to focus on reading reports or doing heavy thinking. With a laptop you can even handle more complex tasks. If people want to know where you are, they can check your calendar. If they come and find you in the conference room, it’s an opportunity to talk about why you’ve reserved the only quiet space.

What do you think? If we require library patrons to be silent so others can study, why do we expect cube workers to be productive? What are your cube challenges?